The sense of smell plays a crucial role in children’s daily functioning, from regulating emotions to enhancing taste, social interactions, and safety, according to Marta Rokosz, PhD, a researcher at the University of Wrocław’s Institute of Psychology.
“The sense of smell is like health described by the poet – we do not appreciate it until we lose it,” Rokosz said, stressing how often this sense is taken for granted.
Interest in the role of smell, especially in children, grew sharply after the COVID-19 pandemic, which made many people aware of how the loss of this sense reduced the comfort of everyday life.
“Covid has made many people realize how important the sense of smell is for everyday functioning. Its absence immediately takes away the pleasure of eating, changes the perception of the environment and even – indirectly – affects relationships with others,” she said.
Rokosz is part of a team led by Anna Oleszkiewicz, PhD, that studies the role of smell in children’s cognitive, emotional, and social development. The researchers wanted to examine whether simple olfactory training could influence how children perceive scents in their surroundings.
The study included 101 children aged 6–9, divided into an experimental group and a placebo group. Children in the experimental group received four fragrance sticks containing the aromas of rose, lemon, eucalyptus, and cloves. The placebo group received identical-looking but odorless sticks. Participants sniffed each stick twice a day, for about 30 seconds per stick, over 12 weeks.
After the experiment, the children were tested on olfactory awareness, smell recognition, and language skills. The results, published in Psychological Research showed that participants who underwent real olfactory training slightly increased their awareness of smells in daily life.
“This means that they noticed them more often in their surroundings, paid more attention to them and declared that they were important to them, e.g., while eating, in contact with other people, in assessing the environment,” Rokosz said.
However, no significant changes were observed in the ability to recognize specific scents or in tasks requiring quick word formation.
“We also noticed that the training slightly improved the children's ability to recognize emotions, but had no effect on short-term visual, auditory or olfactory memory,” she said.
“It is therefore a good rehabilitation method, supporting primarily people who have certain difficulties – reduced cognitive abilities or a weaker sense of smell, but it is not a way to improve functioning in completely healthy people,” Rokosz added.
The researcher emphasised the broader significance of smell in daily life, beyond taste.
“The eating process involves both taste and smell. When we lose our sense of smell, we are unable to distinguish aromas (banana has a sweet taste, but it is the aroma that tells us that this fruit is a banana and not an orange), so eating food ceases to bring us joy, the pleasure of cooking and commenting on meals with family or friends disappears. Moreover, the brain structures responsible for smell are closely connected to those responsible for emotions and memory, so its loss also disrupts these processes,” she said.
Rokosz also highlighted smell as a vital safety mechanism.
“Smell disorders also cause people to have difficulty assessing their own smell, which may cause uncertainty and lower mood. It may also be more difficult for such people to function in relationships – for a person with a normally functioning sense of smell, the smell of a loved one is a source of comfort; when we hug, it acts as an additional factor that strengthens the bond,” she said.
She noted that smell allows people to detect threats such as leaking gas or spoiled food and that those who lack this sense are more exposed to danger.
Rokosz said the sense of smell is often overlooked, and its importance is usually appreciated only by those who suddenly lose it.
The team is now conducting longitudinal research on the development of olfactory, emotional, and cognitive abilities in preschool children, aiming to better understand how these areas interact and influence each other.
“Women usually have higher olfactory abilities. The study may indicate whether these differences are innate and present from an early age, or appear later, and therefore may result from socialization, e.g., the fact that girls are more likely to participate in kitchen work or are interested in cosmetics. We want to check at what stage the differences start to become visible,” she said.
PAP - Science in Poland, Katarzyna Czechowicz (PAP)
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